The Lord of the Sabbath (1 Samuel 21:1–7; Mark 2:23–28; Luke 6:1–5)
1 UDB On a Sabbath at that time, Jesus and the disciples were walking past some grain fields. Because the disciples were hungry, they began to pick some of the heads of grain and eat them, something that the law of Moses allowed. BSB BSB: At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat them.
2 UDB Some Pharisees saw them doing that, so they said to Jesus, "Look! Your disciples are doing work on our day of rest. The law does not allow that!" BSB BSB: When the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.”
4 UDB King David entered the sacred tent where they worshiped God and ate the bread that had been on display before God. But according to the law of Moses, only priests were permitted to eat that bread, but David and the men who were with him ate it. BSB BSB: He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread, which was not lawful for them to eat, but only for the priests.
5 UDB Also, surely you have read what Moses wrote, when he said that even though the priests are not obeying the Jewish day of rest laws by working in the temple on our Sabbath day, they are not guilty. BSB BSB: Or haven’t you read in the Law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple break the Sabbath and yet are innocent?
6 UDB Let me tell you what this means: I have come to you, and I am more important than the temple. BSB BSB: But I tell you that One greater than the temple is here.
7 UDB You should think about these words of God in the scriptures: 'I want you to act mercifully toward people, and not just offer sacrifices.' If you understood what that means, you would not condemn my disciples, who have done no wrong. BSB BSB: If only you had known the meaning of ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.
8 UDB I am the Son of Man, and I have the authority to tell people what they can do on the Sabbath day." BSB BSB: For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”
Jesus Heals on the Sabbath (Mark 3:1–6; Luke 6:6–11)
9 UDB After Jesus left there that day, he went into a synagogue. BSB BSB: Moving on from there, Jesus entered their synagogue,
10 UDB There he saw a man with a withered hand. The Pharisees kept wanting to debate with Jesus about the Sabbath, so one of them asked him, "Does God permit us to heal people on our day of rest?" They were hoping that Jesus would commit a sin by saying something wrong. BSB BSB: and a man with a withered hand was there. In order to accuse Jesus, they asked Him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”
11 UDB He replied to them, "Suppose that one of you had just one sheep, and that it fell into a deep hole on the Sabbath day. Would you just leave it there? Certainly not! You would take hold of it and lift it out right away! BSB BSB: He replied, “If one of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will he not take hold of it and lift it out?
12 UDB But a person is much more valuable than a sheep. So it is certainly right for us to do good by healing another person any day, even on our day of rest!" BSB BSB: How much more valuable is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”
13 UDB Then he said to the man, "Stretch out your hand!" The man stretched out his withered hand, and it became healthy like the other hand! BSB BSB: Then Jesus said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out, and it was restored to full use, just like the other.
14 UDB Then the Pharisees left the synagogue. They began to plan together how they could kill Jesus. BSB BSB: But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus.
God’s Chosen Servant (Isaiah 42:1–9)
15 UDB Because Jesus knew that the Pharisees were plotting to kill him, he took the disciples and went away from there. Large crowds, including many sick people, followed him, and he healed them all. BSB BSB: Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from that place. Large crowds followed Him, and He healed them all,
16 UDB But he firmly told them that they should not tell other people about him. BSB BSB: warning them not to make Him known.
18 UDB "Here is my servant whom I have chosen, the one whom I love and who pleases me. I will put my Spirit in him, and he will bring justice and salvation to the Gentiles. BSB BSB: “Here is My Servant, whom I have chosen, My beloved, in whom My soul delights. I will put My Spirit on Him, and He will proclaim justice to the nations.
19 UDB He will not quarrel with people, neither will he shout. And he will not shout in the streets. BSB BSB: He will not quarrel or cry out; no one will hear His voice in the streets.
20 UDB He will be gentle with the weak people; if a person is barely alive, he will not kill him. And he will judge the people with justice and declare that they are not guilty. BSB BSB: A bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering wick He will not extinguish, till He leads justice to victory.
21 UDB So the nations will confidently trust in him." BSB BSB: In His name the nations will put their hope.”
A House Divided (Mark 3:20–27; Luke 11:14–23)
22 UDB One day some men brought to Jesus a man who was blind and unable to speak because he had a demon. Jesus drove out the demon and healed him. Then the man began to talk and was able to see. BSB BSB: Then a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute was brought to Jesus, and He healed the man so that he could speak and see.
23 UDB All the crowds who saw it marveled. They began asking each other, "Could this man be the descendant of King David whom we have been expecting?" BSB BSB: The crowds were astounded and asked, “Could this be the Son of David?”
24 UDB Because the Pharisees heard about this miracle, they said, "It is not God, but Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons, who enables this man to drive demons from people!" BSB BSB: But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “Only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, does this man drive out demons.”
25 UDB But Jesus knew what the Pharisees were thinking. So he said to them, "If the people in one nation fight against each other, they will destroy their nation. If people who live in the same city or house fight each other, they will certainly not remain as one group or family. BSB BSB: Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.
26 UDB In the same way, if Satan were driving out his own demons, he would be fighting against himself. He will not be able to continue to rule over his servants! BSB BSB: If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand?
27 UDB Furthermore, if it is true that Satan enables me to drive out demons, is it also true that your disciples who drive them out do so by Satan's power? No! So they will judge you for saying that Satan's power was behind their work. BSB BSB: And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons drive them out? So then, they will be your judges.
28 UDB But because it is God's Spirit who enables me to drive out demons, that proves that the rule of God from heaven is already here. BSB BSB: But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
29 UDB "I will show you why I am able to drive out demons. A person cannot go into the house of a strong man like Satan and carry off his possessions if he does not first tie up that strong man. But if he ties him up, then he will be able to take his possessions. BSB BSB: Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man’s house and steal his possessions, unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his house.
30 UDB "No one can be neutral. Those who do not acknowledge that the Holy Spirit enables me to expel demons are opposing me, and those who do not gather people to become my disciples are causing those people to go away from me. BSB BSB: He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters.
The Unpardonable Sin (Mark 3:28–30)
31 UDB "You are saying that it is not the Holy Spirit who is enabling me to expel demons. So I will say this to you: If those who offend and insult other people in any way are then sorry and ask God to forgive them, God will forgive them. But he will not forgive people who insult the Holy Spirit. BSB BSB: Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.
32 UDB God is willing to forgive people who criticize me, the Son of Man. But I warn you that he will not forgive those who say evil things about what the Holy Spirit does. God will not forgive them now, nor in the coming world. BSB BSB: Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the one to come.
Good and Bad Fruit (Luke 6:43–45)
33 UDB "When you see some fruit from a tree, you decide whether the fruit is good or bad. If it is good, then you know that its tree is also good. If I am doing good things, then you should know whether or not I am good. BSB BSB: Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is known by its fruit.
34 UDB You are like the children of poisonous snakes! You cannot say anything good because you are evil. What a person says shows what is inside him. BSB BSB: You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.
35 UDB Good people speak good things. That is because it is like they have stored up all these good things in a safe place and can bring them out at any time. But evil people speak evil things. That is because it is like they have stored up all these evil things and bring them out at any time from the place where they store them. BSB BSB: The good man brings good things out of his good store of treasure, and the evil man brings evil things out of his evil store of treasure.
36 UDB I tell you that on the day when God judges, he will make people recall every useless word they have spoken, and he will judge the people by what they have said. BSB BSB: But I tell you that men will give an account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken.
37 UDB God will either declare that you are righteous based on the words that you have spoken, or else he will condemn you based on what you have said." BSB BSB: For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”
The Sign of Jonah (Jonah 3:1–10; Luke 11:29–32)
40 UDB Jonah was in the stomach of a huge fish for three days and nights before God caused him to come out. Similarly, for three days and nights I, the Son of Man, will be deep in the earth, and then God will cause me to live again. BSB BSB: For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
41 UDB When God judges everyone, the people who lived in the city of Nineveh will stand in front of him beside you people. But they stopped sinning when Jonah warned them. Now I have come to you, and I am far more important than Jonah was, but you have not stopped sinning. So God will judge you. BSB BSB: The men of Nineveh will stand at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now One greater than Jonah is here.
42 UDB The queen from Sheba, south of Israel, who lived long ago, came from a distant region in order to listen to King Solomon teach many wise things. Now I have come to you, and I am far more important than Solomon was, but you have not stopped sinning. So when God judges everyone, the queen of Sheba will stand in front of him beside you people, and she will condemn you. BSB BSB: The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and now One greater than Solomon is here.
An Unclean Spirit Returns (Luke 11:24–26)
43 UDB "Sometimes when an evil spirit leaves a person, it wanders around in desolate areas, seeking someone in whom it can rest. If it does not find anyone, BSB BSB: When an unclean spirit comes out of a man, it passes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it.
44 UDB it says to itself, 'I will return to the person in whom I used to live.' So it goes back and finds that the Spirit of God is not in control of that person's life. The person's life is like a house that has been swept clean and everything put in order, but it is empty. BSB BSB: Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ On its return, it finds the house vacant, swept clean, and put in order.
45 UDB Then this evil spirit goes and gets seven other spirits that are even more evil, and they all enter that person and begin living there. So although that person's condition was bad before, it becomes much worse. That is what you wicked people who have heard me teach will experience." BSB BSB: Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and dwell there. And the final plight of that man is worse than the first. So will it be with this wicked generation.”
Jesus’ Mother and Brothers (Mark 3:31–35; Luke 8:19–21)
46 UDB While Jesus was still speaking to the crowd, his mother and his younger brothers arrived. They stood outside the house, and they wanted to speak with him. BSB BSB: While Jesus was still speaking to the crowds, His mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to Him.
47 UDB Someone said to him, "Your mother and your younger brothers are standing outside the house, and they want to talk to you." BSB BSB: Someone told Him, “Look, Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to You.”
48 UDB Then Jesus said to the person who told him that, "I will tell you who are really my mother and brothers." BSB BSB: But Jesus replied, “Who is My mother, and who are My brothers?”
49 UDB He then pointed toward his disciples and said, "These are ones who take the place of my mother and my brothers. BSB BSB: Pointing to His disciples, He said, “Here are My mother and My brothers.
50 UDB Those who do what God my Father who is in heaven wants take the place of my brother, my sister, or my mother." BSB BSB: For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.”